University of Maine Athletics

Tiana Bucknor enters her second season as an assistant coach at the University of Maine in 2026.

In her first season as an assistant coach with the program, Bucknor played an integral role in the Black Bears' third consecutive America East Championship title and NCAA Tournament berth, leading individual and small group skill development sessions, organizing community service initiatives and contributing to the staff's day-to-day operations.

Bucknor spent three seasons as a student-athlete at Maine, captaining the squad in 2021 and 2022. Since graduating, Bucknor has played professionally and has been working in the coaching and teaching field, most recently training curriculum for clubs as well as running individual and small group sessions. In the spring of 2025, Bucknor worked as an interim assistant coach with the Black Bears, running small group training sessions and organizing and collecting practice data. Bucknor has also recently spent time with Empower Futbol School and UVU Training in Ontario, creating training programs and coaching players of various skills and age levels in both roles. Additionally, Bucknor has spent time coaching with River City Soccer Club in Bangor, We Make Footballers in London and FC Berlin in Ontario.

Bucknor, a two-time captain for the Black Bears, played in 18 games in Orono. Bucknor played all 1,340 minutes for Maine in the 2021 season while also scoring one goal and recording one assist from the back line. Bucknor also spent two seasons at Dayton, playing in 30 games. After Maine, Bucknor played for the London Bees of the FA Women's National League Division One South East. While a student-athlete at Maine, Bucknor was a chair on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a student-athlete mentor/tutor and a peer tutor in the College Success program. She was named the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Education and Human Development.

The Milton, Ontario native earned a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education from Maine in 2022 and earned her master's degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education from Maine in May 2025.